Kid Rock has finally explained why he clocked Tommy Lee at the VMAs. Though most people assumed it was a jealousy issue involving the pair’s mutual ex-wife Pamela Anderson (who was a presenter that night) Rock insists he had unrelated beef with Lee — and even accused Anderson of being a publicity whore. “It had absolutely zero to do with her,” Rock told The Kevin & Bean Show on Los Angeles’ KROQ-FM. “I knew it was a bad career move to get involved with her because your life becomes a circus — because that’s what she wants is media attention.”

So why did Kid Rock end up smacking Tommy Lee? It’s kind of Pamela Anderson-related. “It’s been going on for five years,” Rock said. “Last contact I had with him was when me and Pam were going through our divorce. He picked up her BlackBerry and started e-mailing me a lot of horrendous things. It was extremely disrespectful. I had to do what I had to do because this was a long time coming. You know, I came back from the bathroom and he was sitting right there. It was even more disrespectful after everything he’s said, I was like that’s enough, that’s it.”